


When Two Becomes Four

by Lookagingerpanda



Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Adoption, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Gift Fic, Mentions of PTSD, adoption fic, our girls are so soft, our girls are trying to make a family, soft fic, the OG male and female characters are there to move the story along, they just want to be moms, they will not really be there for chapter two or any subsequent sibling fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28034850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lookagingerpanda/pseuds/Lookagingerpanda
Summary: After two unsuccessful foster matchings Gretchen and Karen arrive at their third placement hoping for the best. A warm, kindly man named Jed is the foster dad to two little girls named Olive and Piper. Could these girls make the Smith's family of two become a family of four?A secret gift exchange fic for my friend Nico, AGAIN! <3
Relationships: Karen Smith/Gretchen Wieners
Kudos: 11
Collections: 2020 AW Gift Exchange





	When Two Becomes Four

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elphabuddy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elphabuddy/gifts).



> SURPRISE MOTHER FUCKER IT'S ME BACK AGAIN WITH ANOTHER GIFT FIC!!! [insert me using jazz hands] Did I turn a headcanon into a fic? YES I DID! I hope this fic is okay! It was a joy to write and if it make anyone cry let know because I cried while writing it because I am a soft bean. Love you Nico!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this soft fluff fest!

As they pulled into the driveway Gretchen took Karen’s hand anxiously. 

“Sweetie what if they  _ don’t _ like me?” Gretchen asked anxiously.

“Baby, how could they _not_ love you? You’re amazing.” Karen said gently, turning in the driver’s seat to face her wife. Their eyes met and the blonde smiled softly as the brunette’s eyes glazed over. “Baby it’s gonna be okay. If we don’t click that’s okay. We have two other placements. And we can always do more if we want.”

“But I don’t think I can _handle_ another. Last week was so much. I was heartbroken. And not just for me but for _them_. And the little girl before that I…” Gretchen’s words caught in her throat. “I know it’s selfish to feel this way but-”

“No _no_. Listen to me. We all felt it. We weren’t meant to adopt those boys. They were very cute _and_ cool but they need parents with a little more chaotic energy. Their future parents will _find_ them and _love_ them. And the little girl, we just weren’t meant to be her mommies either. Shelley told us that a match not working does _not_ mean we are bad people and we need to remember that.” Karen said gently, reaching up and running a smoothing thumb over Gretchen’s cheek.

“You’re right. I love you so much.” Gretchen said, leaning over the console to kiss her wife. 

Just as she pulled away the sound of tires pulling up behind them hit their ears. The couple watched Shelley step out of the car and followed suit.

“Hey ladies you ready?” Shelley asked. Both women nodded in response, taking each other’s hands as they followed the caseworker up the brick walkway.

The wives walked in and were greeted by a heavy set man with a toddler on his hip. He had a warm smile that almost touched his ears. “Hello everyone welcome! You two young ladies must be Gretchen and Karen.”

“Yes sir. I’m Gretchen.” Gretchen said in a very former tone, walking forward and sticking out her hand for the man to shake.

He took it firming, but started to chuckle. “My dad went by Sir.  _ I  _ go by Jed.” He said kindly.

“Nice to meet you Jed. Sorry for the formality. It’s a reflex.” Gretchen said blushing, letting go of his hand. The brunette felt a presence zoom up next to her. 

“Hi I’m Karen! You’re kid is really cute. I like your beard.” The blonde said excitedly.

Jed seemed to be a little taken back by Karen’s excitement but it quickly turned into a wide smile. “Well I’m glad to meet you too Karen. This is Piper, she’s actually one of the girls you’ll be meeting with today. Olive’s in the family room. She’s a bit… quiet. Shelley would you mind holding Piper and checking in on Olive while I go talk to these two on the front porch?” 

“Of course Jed.” Shelley said. As Jed handed Piper to Shelley the toddler began to whimper. The man patted her head gently and whispered something, soothing the toddler.

Jed led the couple outside looking a little bit hesitant. “Has Shelley told you anything about the girls?”

Both women shook their heads as they sat down on the bench. Gretchen’s pulse rose and her body tensed a bit. But Karen grabbed her hand gently and gave it a squeeze. The brunette let out a sigh and scooched closer to her wife.

“Well the girls were dropped off at a fire station in the southern part of Illinois about six months ago. From what the fire crew said they heard someone beeping their car horn and by the time they got out there the car was gone. Olive was holding Piper and crying. There was a letter from their mother begging the state not to contact her family. They had shunned her because the girls’ father wasn’t white and the father died in a car accident a few months prior. She didn’t want them going back there. She said she was abused as a child and didn’t want that for them, especially because of the family being racist. The three of them had been couch surfing for a while but things got to be too much so the mother brought them to the fire station. Piper was nine months old and Olive was three and half. Their mom left contact information and within a few weeks they came under the custody of the state. She wrote a few letters. One to whoever adopts them and one for each of the girls to open when they turn eighteen. She’s asked that she not be contacted until they turn eighteen.”

Neither woman could stop tears from rolling down their cheeks as they clutch one another’s hands. “W-were they alright when the station found them outside?” Gretchen managed to ask.

“The girls were a little underweight and dirty. We think they might not have been couch surfing and might have been outside. There’s a tent city about a mile from the station. But other than that they were physically fine. No bruises or scratches. Mentally and emotionally, we’re less sure of.” Jed said, looking down a little bit. “Piper’s so young and will likely not have any memories of that time before the fire station. But she  _ definitely _ does have separation anxiety. Putting her down for bedtime can be a task. She falls asleep in my arms every night and then I put her in the crib. But if she wakes up while I’m putting her down and try to walk away she’ll scream and won’t stop until I either pick her back up  _ or _ just stay over her in the crib whisper singing until she nods back off.”

Jed took a deep breath. He seemed almost  _ hesitant _ to continue. “As for Olive… She doesn’t say much and didn’t actually say a word for the first month she was here with me. She was tested for several common neurodiverse related disorders, and though she has a few signs of each, the psychologist that assessed her said those symptoms showing up together are far more commonly associated with PTSD. Which in all honesty would make sense. So her current diagnosis is PTSD with selective mutism. I’ve learned to understand her even without her talking. If she really wants something she’ll grab my hand and bring me over and point at things. She, like her sister, does also have separation anxiety. She does have night terrors at times and doesn’t like falling asleep without me in the room with her. The first time I had a respite person come in so I could go on a date, she clung to my leg and I ended up cancelling the date. The wonderful thing about Olive that balances that fact she doesn’t talk much is she understands just about everything I say. She follows directions like a champ and she loves listening to stories and having books read to her. Her social worker gave me several children’s books pertaining to separation anxiety and how to cope with it.  _ The Kissing Hand _ and  _ When I Miss You _ are her favorites.”

“So how does she handle it now? And how does Piper handle it?” Gretchen asked.

“Olive gets a little teary now. I have the same respite worker come each time so she’s grown comfortable with them now. Piper on the other hand… You heard her whining when I gave her to Shelley. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t brought her out here yet from all the screaming she’s probably doing. From what Willow says, they claim it takes about thirty minutes for her to calm down and be okay with them. But I think they’re being generous with that. Which is okay. I want to be upfront with you both, these girls will need help as they get older and need help now, especially Olive, even as she starts talking more. The psychologist thinks that she would benefit from some sort of creative therapy. She’s in speech right now and she has been verbalizing more with me. The speech pathologist is also teaching her some sign language which has really helped when she’s stressed and can’t seem to find her words.” 

Jed once again looked hesitant to speak. “Her social worker thinks that she could relapse and be mute for a while after leaving here when the right family comes along. And if that does happen it is not a sign that the adopters are bad people, it's just a more common occurrence with her diagnosis. Their social worker and the psychologist have also suggested about a year and half after they’re adopted that Olive gets reassessed and Piper gets her first assessment… This must be a lot to hear. I'm sorry."

“Jed this is perfectly okay.” Gretchen said confidently. She was happy that this was all out in the open. “Thank you for being so upfront with us. We’re actually very lucky to be close friends with a child psychologist that is trauma informed. She explained to us when we started this journey that adoption can be traumatic and that we will more than likely have to adjust what we think of as ‘normal’ parenting to ensure that our future children feel safe and secure. She’s also a fantastic artist and uses art therapy with a number of her clients. She and her wife are in the beginning stages of adoption, so much of our conversations have been centered around this sort of thing. If this works out and these girls become ours and they need assessments, therapy, accommodations in school, what have you, we will be ready and a thousand percent willing to do whatever is needed to help these girls thrive.”

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.” Jed said with a bit of a crack in his voice. “There have been other families, but they’ve all said they couldn’t handle what could come up later from their past.”

“Did you ever consider adopting them?” Karen asked.

Jed took in a shaky breath. “I’ve given adopting them thoughts before but there are a lot of kids that need fostering and it’s my calling. I’ve been fostering for nearly a decade. I think with how they came to be mine, bringing more kids in could be detrimental to their progress. So I want them to have a permanent home where they’re someone’s whole world. Maybe you two could be that for them… Are you two ready to go meet them officially? They’ll probably be a little shy but…”

“No no that’s perfectly  _ fine _ and logical.” Gretchen said. “Would it be okay if we give them a little something? It’s not much and I asked Shelley if it would be okay and she said it was probably okay. I’m sorry I should have figured out how to contact you in advan-”

“We brought cookies and a stuffy for each of them.” Karen said, putting a hand on her wife’s leg to calm her. The brunette was grateful that the blonde knew how and when to cut in.

“Oh that’s great! I bet they’ll love them. If it’s alright could only one of you start off with Olive at first? She’s the shier of the two.” Jed asked, looking a little worried.

“That’s fine. I’ll meet her first.” Karen said confidently.

“Are you sure dear?” Gretchen asked warily.

“Baby, remember when I didn’t really talk, like  _ properly _ at least. I know how to make friends when talking isn’t the easiest. Plus I know some ASL.” The blonde said gently.

“Perfect.” Jed said getting up. “Oh and to make it easier Olive loves princesses, small animals, and monster trucks.”

The three of them walked back inside and found Shelley looking a little panicked as she walked into the kitchen with a whining, tearful Piper. To the left of her was a wary looking little girl hiding behind her. 

Jed walked over to them as Gretchen took the little gifts out of her purse. Unbeknownst to the brunette, her wife had already made an observation of the little girl, and snagged the bunny from Gretchen and one of the bags of sugar cookies. Jed took a wiggling Piper from Shelley propped her on his hip. Olive zoomed over to him, clutching his leg. He chuckled softly and bent down until one knee was on the floor. He sat Piper on the upward leg and let Olive nuzzle into the other side of him.

"Girls, this is Gretchen and Karen. They've come to hang out with us for a few hours today. Can you say hi?"

Piper immediately giggled and reached out clutching the air. "Iiiieeee." She said. Olive cautiously rose her hand and gave a small wave, clutching onto a tattered looking stuffed rabbit. Jed smiled at the both and pulled Olive a little closer when Karen took a few steps to the trio. The blonde immediately plopped down on the floor in front of them.

“Hi Olive, my name’s Karen.” She said softly. “Me and Gretchen are really excited to hang out with you and your sister. We were  _ so _ excited that we made some cookies for you and Piper. But we also brought Piper a bear and for  _ you _ we got a bunny. Maybe it can be friends with your bunny?” Karen extended the little white bunny out to Olive. All the adults in the room held their breath. There was a long pause before a still wary looking Olive detached herself from Jed just enough to reach out for the rabbit. When she grabbed hold of it, a smile came to her face. Karen’s chest rose with warmth as Olive’s eyes met hers and giggled just a little bit, snuggling back into Jed’s side. “Jed told me you like princesses and stories. Princesses are one of my  _ favorite _ things in the whole wide world. I know a bunch of princess stories no one’s  _ ever _ heard before. Would like to hear some?” 

To everyone’s  _ shock _ Olive immediately moved away from Jed, tucked her new rabbit under her arm, and grabbed Karen’s hand, giving it a tug to try and get her up. The blonde scrambled to her feet as quickly yet gently as possible to heed the little girl’s request. As soon as Karen was upright Olive was dragging her away. The adults remaining in the room froze with their mouths agape. 

“I-I’ve never seen Olive do that before. And there have been  _ eight _ families before you.” Jed said, sounding somewhat dazed. 

Gretchen couldn’t handle keeping her emotions in any longer and let a few tears roll down her cheeks. “Karen has a special type of touch with shy people. That’s how we became friends as children. I was hiding behind this shelf thing in preschool trying to wait out my parents coming to get me. No one seemed to notice that I was hiding, except her. I couldn’t have been there for more than five minutes before this little towhead blonde popped her head behind it and asked me if I wanted to hold her giraffe until I felt better. I told her no because I wasn’t going to feel better until my parents came back and that could take  _ forever _ . Her response was putting him in my hands, telling me his favorite snack was chocolate pudding, and said she’d be back to check on us in a little bit. She must have come back a half a dozen times, just peeking her head in and smiling at me. Probably by the eighth time she asked if she could climb behind and sit with me. And that’s what she did. We talked for what felt like forever and fell asleep behind there. The preschool had a  _ conniption _ because they thought they lost two new kids. It wasn’t until our parents showed up that they found us asleep. We’ve been sort of inseparable since then.”

“That’s beautiful Gretchen.” Jed said warmly. As he stood up Piper started to wiggle in his arms. He chuckled and gave the toddler a little toss in the air. “You want down to go play?” He asked.

“Yeayea!” Piper said excitedly.

“Alrighty.” Jed said before putting her down on the ground. The toddler squealed and ran off into the next room. The three of them watched her giggling. 

Gretchen felt another wave of emotion run through her. She couldn’t help but see a little bit of herself in the girls. The way Piper’s hair bounced as she ran was reminiscent of her own from home videos she had watched. They both had deep caramel eyes like her too. They seemed to have a bit of Karen too. Olive had a big gap between her two front teeth just like Karen had when they first met. Piper had dimples like the blonde. Olive could have them too but it was hard to tell. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn’t even realize the others were heading after Piper.

Once she caught up she found Piper standing at a learning table joyfully banging on the piano keys. Gretchen tentatively walked over to the toddler and sat down across from her. Piper stopped and looked over at Jed a little wary. Gretchen knowing how toddlers could be just busied herself with the side of the table she was on. There were colored flowers on her side. She touched the red flower and it sang “Red.” She touched the next flower which was orange and it sang “Orange.” Gretchen smiled to herself as she thought she noticed a pattern. So when she touched the yellow flower she hummed what she thought would probably be the next note and was right. It was just a standard major scale. She looked at Piper as she hummed along with green and smiled. The toddler was looking at her with intrigue. So the brunette pressed blue and purple and hummed a little louder. Gretchen moved her hand back to red and watched Piper closely. The toddler was following her hand. So she did the scale again, humming along with each note.

When Gretchen went back for the red flower again she didn’t immediately press the button and Piper looked up at her expectedly. The brunette pressed the red flower but this time softly sang the color along with the toy. A smile spread across those little dimpled cheeks and the brunette couldn’t help but smile back. She sang the rest of the scale letting her voice get a little louder with each note. As she finished Piper cackled with joy and banged on her side of the table. Gretchen moved her hand back to the red flower and looked at Piper.

“Again?” She asked. Piper just squealed and banged on the piano again. Gretchen did the scale again, and again, and again, until Piper excitedly waddle jumped over to Gretchen and fell into her lap. “Oh my goodness, we must  _ love _ singing don’t we?” Gretchen asked. Piper responded with a squee and shimmied around in the brunette’s lap until she was standing on her criss crossed leg bouncing, holding onto the woman’s shoulders. Gretchen gently bounced her legs. “Piper, do you have any favorite songs you like to sing?” She asked, glancing over at Jed who looked overjoyed. 

“She’s a big fan of Twinkle Twinkle, Five Little Ducks, and Baby Shark.” Jed whispered.

Gretchen looked at Piper and smiled. “Those are some of  _ my _ favorite songs! How about we start with Baby Shark?” Piper responded by bouncing even more excitedly on Gretchen’s legs. The brunette took the toddler’s hands gently and smiled when she giggled and held on tightly. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

So she sang Baby Shark, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Five Little Ducks a few times each. As she closed out her fourth round of Five Little Ducks, Piper pulled her hands away and let herself fall into Gretchen giving her a hug. She giggled and nuzzled close to the woman wrapping her legs and arms around her. Gretchen couldn’t help but let out a little hiccup and a few tears. She wrapped her arms around Piper and rubbed with little girls back. After a minute the toddler laughed and squirmed. 

“Uh-oh is someone  _ ticklish _ ?” Gretchen asked slyly before giving a little tickle to Piper’s sides. The toddler squealed and squirmed, giggling all the while. Gretchen loosened her grip and Piper slipped out and ran a little ways away. The curly haired girl looked over her shoulder with that same expected look as she did earlier. For a second Gretchen was confused, but as soon as she shifted to stand up, Piper ran a little more and cackled. 

“Oh. I  _ see _ . Well I didn’t get in my run today so it’s no better time.” Gretchen remarked. As soon as she got to her feet and locked eyes with Piper the little girl started to run. “I’m gonna  _ get you _ Piper.” The brunette said teasingly before starting after the girl. Their chase went all around the family room, into the kitchen, into another room, and back into the family room before Gretchen finally decided to capture the little girl, scoping her up and tickling her stomach. When she did Piper erupted with squealing laughter. The brunette continued for a few more seconds before shifting the girl so she was holding her with them face to face.

Gretchen held her breath as Piper grew quiet. The two were looking at each other closely. The brunette managed to hold in her tears as the toddler placed her chubby little hands on her cheeks and gently squished them around. Gretchen giggled and returned the affection, booping the toddlers nose. Suddenly she heard laughter coming from upstairs and warmth spread through her. Could this really be it? Could they have found their family? She looked over at Jed and Shelley who must have also heard the laughter.

“I think Olive’s probably comfy enough to have both of you there.” Jed said in a hopeful tone. “You ready?”

Gretchen paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Yes I’m ready.” She bent over to put Piper down but the little girl whined and clutched to Gretchen. The brunette put herself upright and looked at the toddler. Chubby hands were squishing her cheeks again and she couldn’t help but giggle. A tear or two rolled down her cheeks looking into those almost eerily similar caramel eyes. “You want to come see your sister with me?”

“Yeayea! Aw-eh Aw-eh!” Piper cheered.

“That’s how she says Olive.” Jed said. “If you want to start up first that’ll be good. Her room is the first on the right. We’ll be behind you. I just know Olive gets a little nervous when a bunch of us show up at once.”

“Okay sounds good to me.” Gretchen said confidently, ascending the stairs, though her heart was racing. What if she  _ wrecked _ the moment Karen and Olive were having? What if Olive  _ didn’t _ like her and want to bond with her the way she and Piper just did? What if once all four of them were together that it  _ didn’t _ work. What if-

Gretchen was glad she was holding onto Piper and her motherly instincts were activated or she would have  _ dropped _ whatever she was holding, because she was so overwhelmed with emotion by the site in front of her. There was Karen on her back on the floor holding up Olive with her feet at the girl’s hips and their hands intertwined smiling and laughing. Her ears picked up on Karen’s words and felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

“-and then Princess Olive  _ flew _ through the sky to catch up with the evil wizard!” Karen exclaimed excitedly. Karen tilted Olive a little to the left and a little to the right. The little girl cackled with delight. Karen continued her story. "Princess Olive flew faster and  _ faster _ until she was  _ right _ behind the evil wizard. But  _ how _ was she going to defeat him? The King told her fight. The Queen told her to run. But she knew of something  _ more _ powerful. So Princess Olive used just a  _ little _ more power to catch the wizard from behind and wrapped him in a hug. She said 'I  _ know _ you're angry Mr. Wizard but  _ please _ know that I love you and want to be your friend. Please be my friend.' As they flew through the air the Evil Wizard began to cry. 'No one's  _ ever _ asked to be friends with me. I'd love to be your friend!' He said. And with that they stopped flying and started floating to the ground.” 

Gretchen watched through tear filled eyes as Karen gently sat up, scooping Olive just at the right second so she landed in Karen lap. The little girl looked up at the blonde appearing to be completely engrossed in the story. Karen once again continued. “By the time they got to the ground Princess Olive noticed the evil wizard had  _ changed _ . He had changed into a friendly looking old man. ‘Thank you Princess Olive. I’ve been under a curse for  _ many _ years but your kindness broke it. May I have another hug?’ He asked. And so she did give him a hug. After that they went back to the Kingdom and Princess Olive became Queen Olive and she ruled with  _ love _ and  _ hugs _ for all. The End.” 

Karen gave a little chuckle to hide the hiccup of emotion trying to escape her. It seemed to work. She had  _ not  _ been expecting Olive to take to her as she did. But here she was with the little girl in her lap and all she could imagine was doing this all the time but in her and Gretchen’s home. Raising these two girls who have little bits of the women in them. They have Gretchen’s eyes and her own dimples. She could see the four of them cuddled up on their gray couch watching movies for hours and falling asleep there. She saw her and Gretchen carrying their sleepy forms and putting them to bed, kissing the tops of their heads and telling them how much they were loved. She saw birthdays and holidays full of joy and laughter. She saw Damian doing perfectly overly elaborate puppet shows. When Regina and Janis were ready, she pictured their children playing together too, with Cady and Aaron’s little ones alongside them.

Karen was taken away from her daydream as she noticed Olive moving her hands. She was placing her arms over her chest with her right wrist just over her left wrist and her hands in fists, looking at her expectedly. She did it again and it registered in the blonde’s head.  _ Sign language _ . Olive looked a little disappointed but did the sign one more time. Just as she heard a voice behind her the word word flew into her head.

“Hug.” The blonde said. To her absolute relief, Olive smiled. “Do you want a hug?” She asked. The little girl nodded vigorously. Karen couldn’t help but let a little tear slip by. “Of course Olive.” She said, unable to keep her voice from cracking, while she opened her arms. Olive immediately leaned into the blonde, nuzzling into her and wrapping her little arms all the way around her waist. Karen returned the hug trying not to shake with emotion. Could this really be happening? 

It finally registered that there were others behind her. Karen’s eyes immediately found her wife’s and saw they were filled with tears, though they were offset with a huge smile. She followed her wife’s gaze to the toddler on her hip and more tears flowed. They looked so perfect together. The image of Gretchen stirring a pot of soup with Piper on her hip popped into her head. She looked down at Olive and could see the girl on her shoulders at the Evanston Fair. She glanced up again and looked at Jed and he looked shocked but happy. When their eyes met he made a few motions, asking permission for them to come in. 

“Olive.” Karen whispered. “Everyone came up to hang out, what should we do now?” 

Olive lifted her head and looked toward her door. Karen watched a smile spread on her face. She didn’t appear to be upset by Gretchen holding Piper. When Piper noticed Olive looking at her the toddler smiled back, bouncing in Gretchen’s arms.

“Aw-eh!” Piper squawked.

“Piper!” Olive crowed. Everyone’s mouths  _ fell _ open. Olive jumped out of Karen’s lap and ran over to Gretchen smiling. Everyone was relieved to see that the little girl seemed comfortable approaching her. 

“Aw-eh!” Piper shrieked excitedly, making grabby hands at her big sister.

“Piper!” Olive yelled happily, making grabby hands back. 

Gretchen looked between them for a brief second before she gently but quickly placed the toddler into Olive’s arms. Both the girls giggled at each other as the older of the two spun them around a few times. Everyone watched the cackling girls with misty glazed eyes. Olive looked up at Gretchen and smiled widely before spinning her little sister around again. 

  
Karen and Gretchen found each other’s eyes for a brief moment. It had to be. It felt  _ too _ right,  _ too _ perfect for it  _ not _ to be. They did it. They’d found them. Their family was going to be complete. Two would soon become four. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Leave a kudos and/or comment if you wish. They always make me smile and I'm trying to be better about replying to them!
> 
> You're also welcome to drop an ask on my tumblr!
> 
> https://why-do-i-like-you-ya-dumb-bean.tumblr.com/
> 
> Please be safe out there!


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